


Let Me Save You

by grunge_ish



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst?, Bisexual James Potter, Dark v Light, Deatheaters, Demisexual Regulus Black, Emotions, How Do I Tag, James and Lily aren't together, M/M, Short One Shot, mentions of weed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 10:39:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15794832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grunge_ish/pseuds/grunge_ish
Summary: Regulus is in sixth year when he pledges his allegiance to the Dark Lord.James, in his seventh year of Hogwarts, decides he will not stand by as his best mate's brother is thrust into a world he doesn't understand.But old wounds and memories don't disappear as easily as either of them had hoped.





	Let Me Save You

 

     "Reg! Wait!" James ran after the younger black haired Slytherin. He smiled when Regulus stopped to wait for him. "Can we talk?"

     "About what Potter?" His voice was cold. The words clipped and annoyed. "I need to study for my Defense Against the Dark Arts quiz." He had just come from the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, but sometimes James was a little slow. He hoped that today was one of those times. 

     "It'll be really quick, I promise. Follow me." Heat flashed through Regulus's body, the memory of words whispered on his skin in dark corridors and hushed moans of his name muffled by kisses. He shook himself out of the memories. It was of no use to him to dwell in the past. He followed the older boy down familiar corridors, each turn threatening to send him back into that loop of memories. 

     "Potter, where are you taking me?" James just turned around and smiled, walking backwards easily. Regulus almost made a face at him, instead he kept his face cold and stoic. Just like his mother had taught him. After a few minutes of walking, James stopped, still facing Regulus with that  ~~adorable~~ stupid smile on his  ~~handsome~~  face. They were standing in an all too familiar corridor. Memories tried to flood Regulus's brain but he pushed them back down with practiced ease. 

     "Reg," Regulus held his hand up before James could finish speaking.

     "Don't call me that." James dropped his smile for a confused look. Regulus couldn't stand the memories at the edge of his mind, and the far too intimate nickname made it so much worse. They screamed at him to make things like they were before. He wouldn't. 

     "Regulus?" Regulus nodded. "Regulus we need to talk."

     "About what?"

     "Sirius is worried about you." Regulus scoffed. "He really is." James voiced, a little indignant. 

     "He told me. A few days ago. I told him there's nothing to be worried about," Regulus intoned, almost like he had practiced saying those words a million times.  "And I'm going to tell you the same thing. Not that you really care." This time Regulus's words were laced with anger.

     "Regulus what are you talking about? Of course I care about you!" Regulus simply rolled his eyes at James's hurt words.

     "Is that so? It's funny, I can't smell weed on you." He spit, refusing to make eye contact. "I never really could. Maybe my sense of smell is just shoddy." James winced at Regulus's words. He supposed that he deserved it, but it still hurt. 

     "Reg, I" James started, but Regulus cut him off.

     "I told you not to call me that. You're still dense as ever, I see." Regulus turned to leave. At the same time James lunged forward to grab his arm. He grabbed Regulus's wrist, right above the Dark Mark burned into his skin. "Let me go Potter!" He didn't dare to struggle, not when James could easily lift up his sleeve and see who he had become.

     "Not until you listen to what I have to say." James tugged Regulus towards him, almost ripping Regulus's sleeve. "You've been avoiding Sirius for weeks, you won't let Remus tutor you anymore, and you've started hanging around Malfoy and Dolohov. Both of whom are supportive towards the Dark Lord's goal." James's hazel eyes stared holes into Regulus, but he refused to make eye contact.

     "Maybe I just decided I was done trying to be someone I'm not." Regulus spit back at James. That couldn't be farther from the truth, but if he told James the truth, he would pity him and there was nothing Regulus hated more than pity. James yanked the sleeve of Regulus shirt up, exposing the Dark Mark to the cool air around them.

     "So this is who you are?" James pointed angrily at the now exposed Dark Mark. "A hate mongering fool?" James was angry, and Regulus almost smiled. Because yes, anger, he could deal with anger, he had been subjected to it his entire life. "Where's the Reg I knew? The one who would steal chocolates from Remus and blame it on his brother? The one who would secretly curse anyone who was a dick to Marlene because he thought her out-of-school outfits where beautiful? The one who spent weeks kissing up to Slughorn so that he could make a potion that would help Remus with the pain he felt? The one who looked at his brother with admiration when he wasn't looking? What happened to him?" James's voice was so full of sadness and regret, that Regulus wanted to scream that that was the real him. That he hated what he had to do, but he had to do it. He wanted to apologize to the boy in front of him and beg him make everything the way it was before. But he couldn't. Because there was no room in that doomed heart for him. 

     "He's dead." Memories of _that_ day covered Regulus's vision. James saying he never really cared about Regulus, James joking about how easily Regulus had become attached to him, James complaining that he wished that he could get rid of Regulus but Sirius had asked him to be nice. "And if you want someone to blame for that, blame yourself." Regulus tore his arm out of James's grip and walked off with his head held high.

     He would not submit to the sea of emotions that threatened to overtake him. He chanced one look behind him, just to see James's face one last time before he cut off all contact. James was standing tall, he always was, but tears trailed down his cheeks in streams. He didn't shake though, didn't open his mouth to sob or call out to Regulus, no, he just stood there, crying silently. Regulus had never seen James cry before this, and not knowing what to do, he faced forward once again and kept walking. The water in his eyes threatening to spill as he made his way to the Room of Requirement to meet with Lucius.

     James knew Regulus hated him now. He knew that the thought shouldn't bother him as much as it did. He knew that the look on Regulus's face as he told him that James was the one who had killed the boy he used to be shouldn't make him break down in tears, but it did. He knew that he shouldn't have tried to talk to Regulus, Sirius had told him not to. But he had to see for himself, he had to attempt to change his mind. He just wished he hadn't been so terrified of the emotions that Regulus had made him feel. He wished he hadn't panicked when Marlene had found them together in the broom closet. He wished he hadn't been so stupid. Maybe then this wouldn't have happened.

     Maybe then Regulus would still be okay. Maybe then he would still be okay.


End file.
